The State of the Stars
by Blazing Sky Starfire
Summary: Paper Mario, told the way I've always imagined it.


**The State of the Stars**

_A Paper Mario fanfiction written by Blazing Sky Starfire_

Summary: A Paper Mario fanfiction. There's not much else to be said, is there?

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Don't sue me. Rated T for violence and language.

_See end of chapter for Author's note. _

**-Prologue: Part 1-**

**-I-**

It was the 10th day of the first summer month, and the Mushroom Kingdom was abuzz with frenzied activities. Students were enjoying their break from studying, farmers were hard at work in their fields, and certain members of royalty were planning parties.

Princess Peach had taken it upon herself to throw a party to celebrate the beginning of summer, and to relish in the fact that Bowser had not attacked for several months. She would open the castle to everyone who wished to attend. She hired the best cook in the kingdom to prepare a five star feast, and hired those guys from _Queer Eye for the Straight Toad_ to do some last minute interior decorating. 

'Ahh, gays...can't live without them.' thought the monarch. 

She looked out of her balcony and into the courtyard below. The servants were beginning to set up for the festivities.

"Today's going to be a swell day!" Peach thought as she put on the necklace a certain plumber gave her for her birthday last year. It was a simple, little Star charm attached to a silver chain, and Peach cherished it with all her heart.

She looked in the mirror, smiled, and thought of Mario. 

**-II-**

But elsewhere in the Kingdom, all was not well.

At the home of the Mario Brothers, the eldest brother was distraught.

Mario looked up at the ceiling above his bed. Last night was just like all the other nights. 

For the past week, he had been plagued with the same reoccurring dream. It haunted him. He told no one of the dream. He hoped and prayed to the Star Goddess that this was a dream and only a dream, and not a vision of things to come.

_The dream always started the same way. There was pitch black darkness all around him; he could not even see his own hand in front of his face. _

_Then, suddenly, a light shot through the darkness in front of him. He moved closer to the light. As he approached it, he found out it was a star—a bright, shimmering star, attached to a long wand. He knew of this object. It was called the Star Rod._

_He reached out to grab it, and as he did, a scaly, clawed hand swiped his own gloved hand out of the way and grabbed the Star Rod. There was a flash, and the sound of evil laughter filled in his ears. _

_His vision then changed. He was in a dark hallway, and he felt incredibly weak. There was broken glass all around him. His clothes were stained with blood, and he could barely support himself on his knees. He looked up, only to see the dark eyes of Bowser staring into his own. Bowser laughed and spoke words he could not understand. He could hear Peach screaming and sobbing, but as much as he looked, he could not see her. He looked at Bowser again. His nemesis raised his arm high above his horned head, and there was a bright flash. A sharp, shooting pain ran throughout Mario's body, and he was knocked off his feet. He looked up, only to see the Princess standing at a broken window, screaming, holding her arm out into the air. He tried to grab her arm, but he was much too weak. Her voice grew fainter and fainter until he could see no more._

**-III-**

"Mario, you have some mail here!" Luigi shouted from the other room.

Mario got up off his bed and into the kitchen, where he saw his brother in a bright pink apron, looking through the post. There was a pleasant smell in the air, his brother was cooking. Mario's stomach growled.

"SHUT UP!" said Luigi, shaking a spatula at Mario's abdomen. 

"Breakfast ready yet?" said the elder brother.

"Almost. Here, these are yours." His sibling gave him a bunch of letters.

"Hmm... junk, junk, loan payment, final notice, Toad Town High School Alumni Association, and ooh! A letter from my favorite Princess!" said Mario, throwing the other letters into the garbage and opening the pink, perfumed scented envelope.

"What does it say?" said Luigi, as he flipped a pancake on the griddle.

"She's throwing a bash, today apparently. I don't think Peach understands what 'short notice' is. But whatever, do you wanna go?" said Mario, putting the envelope onto the table and watching his brother flip another pancake.

"I don't know, I really wanted to do some gardening today..." said Luigi, putting the pancakes onto a plate and placing them on the table.

"Hey, who knows, Peasley might be there."

Mario saw his brother's face turn a shade of beet red.

"Well, she does throw rather nice parties... alright, I guess I'll go." 

'_I knew that would get him to go.'_ thought Mario.

The brothers ate their breakfast, and Luigi went to his garden, while Mario tried to decide what to wear. He eventually settled on his usual attire. 

He ironed his overalls and red shirt, thinking to himself, _'Well, if it ain't broke, don't fix it, right?'_

Mario put on his clothes, trimmed his 'stache, and went to go help his brother in the garden.

He found Luigi kneeling in front of a stone statue of the Buddha that he had put in the garden a year ago. Mario could hear his brother making a faint "Om" sound. 

"Um, Weegie? Not to disturb your Zen-like concentration, but I need to do some stuff in town before the party, so just hold down the fort while I'm gone, 'k?" 

Luigi's concentration did not falter; he simply gave his brother a thumb's up to indicate he was listening. With that, Mario went over to the Warp Pipe and headed into town. 

**-IV-**

Mario had finally decided to tell someone of his vision. He would tell the town's resident wizard, Merlon. Surely he could provide some sort of clarity on the issue, thought Mario. And so upon arriving in Toad Town, he headed straight for the magician's house. 

'There's no missing it,' he thought, 'it's the only house with a roof that spins.' 

The plumber walked up to Merlon's door, only to find it locked. There was a note affixed to the door.

"_I'm off at the Annual Wizarding Conference in Rogueport. I will return on the 14__th__ Day of the first summer month. If you require immediate assistance—well, that's too bad. Sorry! Regards, Merlon"_

"Shit..." said Mario, stomping the ground beneath him with his foot. Disappointed, he headed to the town square. He passed in front of the castle, to see the townsfolk beginning to gather by the gate. The festivities would begin soon. He decided to go retrieve his brother; chances were he was still kneeling in deep silence, muttering only a single "Om..."

**-V-**

Sure enough, upon Mario's arrival, Luigi was still kneeling in front of the Buddha statue, muttering a mantra under his breath. 

"Luigi, time to go!" said the elder brother to his sibling.

Luigi stood up, bowed in front of the statue, and turned and faced his brother, wiping the dirt from his pants.

"How do I look?" said Luigi.

"Filthy. You're covered in dirt, Weegie."

"Did you really have to say 'filthy'?" 

"Well you're the one always telling me to be up front about my feelings..."

"Don't patronize me, Mario. Whatever, I'm going to go get a quick shower."

Luigi headed into the house, leaving Mario alone in the garden. 

Mario looked at the stone face of Luigi's Buddha statue. It was calm, serene. It had nothing to worry about, no kingdom that needed saving every other week, no unusual dreams to decipher. 

Well, that was mainly because it was a statue, but that was beside the point.

**-VI-**

Mario combed his hair and put his traditional red hat on his head. He looked in to the mirror before him, his bright blue eyes staring back at him. He reached out and touched his reflection.

"I have a feeling that something very bad is going to happen today." Mario said quietly to his reflection.

Luigi knocked and opened Mario's bedroom door halfway, sticking his head through the opening.

"Ready to go?" 

"Yeah. Sure. Let's get going."

Mario looked at his reflection one last time before leaving the house.

Stepping outside, he looked up to see a blue, cloudless sky overhead. But Mario did not feel at all calm or relaxed when he looked up at the sky today, instead, he only felt dread at the things he felt were soon to come.

**-VII-**

Upon arriving at the castle, Mario was instantly hit with the desire to see Peach. He would tell her his vision and see what she could make of it. Perhaps she could console him, tell him everything would be fine, and tell him that there was nothing to worry about. But at the same time, he knew Peach would not have all the answers, and no matter how many times she told him everything would be ok, he knew it wouldn't be. 

He turned the doorknob, and entered the hallway leading to Peach's quarters. He paused in front of the large window, looking out into the town below. From this view, he could see his house, if he squinted a little. He looked out into the blue sky, spotting a brief, twinkling light, which disappeared within seconds of being spotted. 

He stood there for what seemed like an hour, staring into the bright blue expanse. Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"It's a nice view, isn't it?" said Peach, kissing his cheek.

"Yeah, it really is. The sky looks really... blue, today." said Mario, at a sudden loss for words.

She giggled. He wrapped his arm around her waist, and they stood there, looking out the window together.

"Well I'm glad you came today. I was a little afraid no one would come."

"Peach, you know damn well no one ever misses your parties."

"That is true, isn't it? I guess they're _that_ good."

Mario let out a small laugh, then a sigh.

"Something wrong?" asked Peach.

"Peach... ever get the feeling that something really bad is going to happen, and there's nothing you can do about it?"

Mario proceeded to tell Peach about his dream, how he was sure it was a sign, and how he wished and prayed it would not come true.

And within less than a minute, it would all come to pass.

**-VIII-**

A sudden tremor shook the entire castle to its foundation. Peach screamed and clung to Mario for balance. After a minute, the tremor stopped, and there was a sudden feeling of upward movement beneath them. The two of them stood agape as they looked out the window to see the castle rising into the air, rising higher and higher, until they could see only clouds, and then, the inky blackness of the heavens.

"Oh Goddess, _what's going on, Mario?_" exclaimed Peach.

Mario said nothing. Instead, he stood fixated at an object far away in the heavens. It was a large object, and it appeared to be headed for the castle, moving at high speed. As it approached, he saw that it was not one, but two objects, one smaller than the other. It was only when he saw that the object was about to ram head on into the castle that he realized that it was Bowser, riding in his Clown Car, accompanied by Kammy Koopa. 

"No..."

Mario and Peach ducked out of harm's way as Bowser's clown car broke through the window, shards of broken glass falling everywhere.

Mario stood up and looked up into the cold, black eyes of his nemesis.

"Mmm... Excuse my sudden intrusion Princess. I needed it for dramatic effect." said the Koopa King, his face curling into a twisted smile.

"What are you doing here? And what have you done, making the earth shake like that?" said Peach.

"Ahh... obviously you wouldn't be able to tell from _all the way up here_. I've lifted your castle onto mine and raised it into the sky."

"...Why?"

"Well, because... no one's ever done that before. Anyway, there's nothing you can do about it."

Mario ran and stood in front of Peach.

"It's always something with you, isn't it Mario? Always foiling my plans, always being a thorn in my side. Well, unfortunately for you, the shit ends here. For you see, now with the Star Rod in my possession, the entire Mushroom Kingdom will obey me, and you will be nothing more than a memory!"

Bowser raised his arm high above his head, and the Star Rod appeared in his hand.

"_The Star Rod? But how did he manage to get that?_" thought Peach.

"_PREPARE FOR YOUR END, MARIO!_" wailed Bowser. 

Bowser let out a yell and prepared to attack, but Mario had already jumped high into the air. The plumber came crashing down on Bowser's head with all his might. 

Bowser didn't even flinch.

"What the hell—"

Bowser swiped at Mario, knocking the plumber to the floor.

"Foolish, impudent oaf! With the Star Rod in my grasp, your attacks don't even scratch me!"

Mario wiped a bit of blood from his lip. 

"Funny... I didn't know you could use the word _impudent_ in a sentence, let alone correctly." said Mario, standing up.

Mario delivered a kick into Bowser's face, but the Koopa King didn't move. 

"Let me show you true pain..."

Bowser let out a roar, and the Star Rod gleamed with power. His entire body shined with energy, and he opened his mouth, letting out a fearsome blast of fire. Mario braced himself, covering his face with his arm. When he could feel the heat no more, he moved his arm, only to see Bowser right in front of him. The Koopa King grabbed Mario by the neck and threw him across the room.

"Mario!" said Peach, rushing to the plumber's side.

Mario got up slowly, beginning to feel weak. He marched up to Bowser, channeling all of his strength. He managed to jump and kick Bowser in the head one last time.

"You're a fool, Mario."

Bowser knocked Mario to the floor again, with more force than before. Then he kicked Mario in the stomach, the plumber groaning in pain. But Mario would not give up. He managed to stand on his knees and face his enemy. He was merely inches away from the broken window.

"And now is the time where I banish you from my sight forever."

Bowser raised his hand again, the Star Rod gleaming with power. There was a bright flash, and a surging, electrifying pain surged throughout Mario's entire body. And then he felt everything move in slow motion. He could hear Peach's sobs and screams echoing in his ears. He could see the castle and Peach slowly disappearing from view, Peach extending an arm out the window. And then, all he could see were clouds. The air flipped him over onto his stomach, and he could see the ground getting closer, and closer. He knew what would happen next. 

Mario closed his eyes, and prayed he would feel no more pain.

**-Prologue: Part 2-**

**-IX-**

"_My mother used to tell me lots of stories when I was little. They were your typical fairy tale, you know, they always had a princess in distress, a evil villain taking over, and a big, strong hero coming to save the day. Back then, I wanted nothing more than to be that big, strong hero in all of her stories. I wanted to grow up and beat up lots of evildoers, save people, and maybe get a parade or two. But at the same time, I didn't want to have to save the world all the time. I wanted to have peace, not only for myself, but for people everywhere. Even now, I wish the entire kingdom—no, the whole world, would be at peace, even for just one day. This is my only wish."_

"_Mario, please... wake up... we need you..._"

Mario opened his eyes. Floating above his head was a Star. He recognized the Star as Eldstar, one of the seven great Star Spirits, guardians of the Star Rod.

"Oh thank the Star Goddess, you're awake!" said Eldstar.

Mario looked around the room. He was in a house of some sort, one he had never visited before.

"Where... Where exactly am I? Please don't tell me that I..._you know..._" said Mario.

"Oh Heavens, no! Well, you almost did. Fortunately, the other Star Spirits and myself managed to heal you a great deal with our power. As to where you are, a pair of Goomba children found you and brought you here. Welcome to Goomba Village."

Mario yawned. He stretched, having awoken from a very long sleep.

"Now then, please listen carefully... I can not speak with you much more, my power is fading...I can barely muster this transmission. You must come to Shooting Star Summit. There I can fill you in on what has transpired these last few days. But you must hurry, Mario. Until our next meeting, good luck!"

Eldstar then disappeared in a faint twinkling of light.

At that moment, a Toad burst into the house.

"Oh! Mario! You're awake! You've been out cold for the last few days!"

"So I hear."

"What's that?"

"...Nothing. Where am I exactly?"

"This is Goomba Village's Toad House. It's a tad shabby, but its home. I live here in Goomba Village with a family of Goombas. In fact, their kids are the ones who discovered you unconscious in the forest a couple days ago."

"Well thanks for taking me in. Hey listen, how do I get to Toad Town from here?"

"Oh, just take the main gate out and keep headed straight. It's less than a day's journey from here to Toad Town. But you should get some more rest before you leave."

"I'd like to, but I have a kingdom to save, as always. Thank you for your hospitality. Goddess bless you."

With that, Mario got up, stretched again, and walked out of the house.

**-X-**

"Big Brother, where are you?" 

Luigi sat on the porch of the Brothers' house, looking out into the morning sky. It had been almost four days since the castle was uprooted. He remembered watching the castle rise into the sky, Bowser's fortress lifting Peach's castle from below. Luigi had managed to narrowly escape the castle during the tremor, but Mario and Peach were nowhere to be found. He wondered if either one of them were alive.

"Wherever you are...promise me you both won't give up."

Luigi wiped a tear from his cheek, and went to go make breakfast. 

**-XI-**

"Mario! You're awake!"

A pair of Goombas, a Goomba boy and a Goomba girl, came rushing up to Mario as he made his way towards the gate.

"Are you the ones that found me in the forest?" asked Mario.

An older Goomba came walking up behind the younger pair.

"They sure are. That's Goombario, and this one's Goombaria. And I'm Goompapa, their father. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Mario."

"Likewise... I'd love to stay, but I really have to get going, there's an urgent matter that I need too—"

"Oh no, we understand. The kingdom needs you Mario. Go out there and do what you do best!" said Goompapa.

Mario turned to leave, but he was stopped by Goombario.

"Hey Mario, I know this is going to sound really silly, but... is there any way I can go with you? I promise I won't get in your way, and I'll help you out as much as possible! What do you say?"

The Goomba looked up at Mario with hopeful eyes. Mario hesitated, fearing for Goombario's safety, but a voice inside him told it would be ok, that Goombario would be of great help.

Mario smiled.

"I'll take you along, but you have to promise me that you won't get yourself into trouble. And you'll have to say goodbye to your folks, you're not going to be seeing them for a little while." said Mario.

Goombario smiled back, and went off to go tell his family.

In the back of his mind, he thought he could hear Eldstar saying, "_You made a wise choice_."

Mario stared at the path beyond the gate longingly. 

A new adventure was about to begin. 

**-XII-**

Bowser ran his fingers over the Star Rod, feeling the warmth resonating from the Star at its tip. 

"The entire kingdom is now mine. With Mario out my way, there is nothing I cannot have...except..."

Bowser stared longingly at the picture of Peach he kept in his room. 

"...her love..."

Bowser knew better than to use the Star Rod to grant this wish. Even if the power of the Stars could make Peach love him, it would never be true love. The Star Rod could never make her look at him the way he had always wanted.

The Koopa King sighed, and went over to his balcony to look at his new domain. He pulled out his telescope, and aimed down at the Mushroom Kingdom.

The first thing he saw was Mario, conversing with a Goomba child.

Bowser roared, threw the telescope off the balcony, and watched it fly off into the inky blackness.

He raised his hand, and shot a ray of energy from the Star Rod down into the Kingdom.

**-XIII-**

"_LOOK OUT!_"

A huge, comet-like mass of energy was headed straight for Mario and his new Goomba friend. Mario and Goombario rushed out of the way and ducked.

The energy mass exploded in a flash light on contact, blinding everyone around. Where it had burst, a giant yellow Block now stood, blocking Mario's way out of Goomba Village. 

Mario looked up. He saw Bowser's face, transparent and disembodied, hovering inches from his own.

"Let this serve as a warning. Don't even think about going any further. If you do, I will cause you more pain than you have ever felt before in your life."

Bowser's face vanished into the air. 

"Whoa! What just happened? Did you see that Mario? A Block fell out of the sky!" said Goombario.

Goompapa ran out of his house.

"What was—AWW! I just finished fixing that damned gate. Oh well..."

The Goomba father approached the Block, attempted to break it with his head, and failed.

"Yeah. That one's a toughie, alright. Ahh, you know, I think old Goompa has a Hammer that's good for breaking things like that. Last time I checked, he was fixing the veranda. Why don't you go along and find him? Here, kids, give me a hand... looks like there's more work in my future..."

The Goomba children went to help their father, and Mario headed into the Goomba family house to procure a hammer. 

**-XIV-**

His mother had always told him to look before he leapt, but Mario had conveniently forgotten that particular piece of advice as he opened the back door, and fell into open air. 

And now he was at the bottom of a cliff, looking into Goompa's stern eyes. 

"Well Mario, it seems as if you stepped out the door and fell. Sorry about that. That blast from earlier must have weakened the veranda, and it collapsed while I was working on it. Are you alright?" asked Goompa.

Mario got up and dusted off his overalls.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Say, you wouldn't happen to have some sort of hammer lying around, would you?" 

"Well, I DID...note the word _DID_... but I kinda lost it, you know, when the FRICKIN' VERANDA COLLAPSED UNDER MY FEET!"

Goompa shook his fist at the ruined veranda. 

"...I see. So do you have any clue as to where it might be?"

"Well, chances are it fell somewhere around here. Why don't we start looking?"

So Goompa and Mario began searching the forest for the hammer, and eventually found it in a bush.

"Well done. I suppose you know how to use such a thing in combat, right?"

Mario smashed a nearby block to pieces with one blow from the hammer.

"Of course."

On their way back up the cliff, they were stopped by what appeared to be a Koopa toddler.

"Hey! This is _my_ hangout, ok! Don't let—WAIT A MINUTE! You're Mario, _aren't you?_"

"The one and only, my friend."

"I'll get famous if I beat you up! Let's go! I'm gonna pummel you!"

"Listen kid, as much as I'd like to play your little game, there's bigger things I have to do. Maybe some other time, alright?"

"_Don't call me 'kid'! My name is Jr. Troopa! AND DON'T YOU FORGET IT!_"

"Oh don't worry, I won't. I'll see you around, kiddo."

"What—"

Before Jr. Troopa had a chance to say anything else, Mario and Goompa had already walked away.

"We'll battle someday, Mario! _Just you wait!_"

**-XV-**

Mario channeled all of his strength, brought the hammer high above his head, and brought the hammer down hard on the Block. The Block instantly shattered into tiny pieces.

"Dad, will I become _that_ strong someday?" asked Goombaria.

"Keep drinking your milk, honey."

Mario wiped a bead of sweat from his brow and stuffed the hammer into a satchel Goompapa gave him for the journey.

"Now Goombario, I want you to be careful. Don't do anything stupid, alright?" said Goompa.

"I won't, don't worry. And besides, Mario will keep me in line."

"I'll miss you kiddo. May the Stars watch over you on your journey."

And so the new duo of Mario and Goombario set off past Goomba Village and into the forest. 

**-XVI-**

Nearing the end of the path, they were stopped by the appearance of two Goombas, one red and one blue.

"We're calling you out Mario!" said the red one.

"By order of King Goomba and King Bowser, we're going to destroy you!"

Mario stared at the two Goombas, and then turned to Goombario.

"They aren't being serious, are they?" asked Mario.

"They look pretty serious to me. If they want a battle, then let's give it to them!" said Goombario.

"You know what? I like your way of thinking."

As he said this, Red Goomba came charging at Mario.

Mario pulled the hammer out of his satchel and reared it behind his head like a baseball bat. Then, as Red Goomba came close, Mario swung the hammer and hit Red Goomba, launching him into his blue brother.

Both Goombas were knocked to the ground.

"Home run! Now it's my turn!" said Goombario.

Goombario launched himself into the air, and jump kicked Red Goomba in the stomach.

"Mario! Finish them!" said Goombario.

Goombario ran out of the way, and Mario charged at the two Goombas. He then jumped into the air and body slammed the two Goombas flat.

"Well that takes care of that." 

**-XVII-**

A tower stood between the duo and the Toad Town gate. Goombario eyed the unusual tower with suspicion.

"There used to be a big bridge here, what happened? This tower definitely was not here a few days ago."

Mario approached the tower door and knocked. 

"Uhh... nobody's home! I swear!" replied a gruff voice.

Mario sighed.

"Do you honestly expect me to believe that?"

"...Yes." replied the voice again.

"If you don't let down the bridge, I will break down this door and let it down myself."

"Look, just go away, ok? I'm under enough stress as it is!"

"Well, I would go away if I had a bridge to cross."

"...I can't do that."

"And why is that?"

"Bowser's orders." 

"Oh, so you're one of Bowser's little flunkies. I see. And you're not even brave enough to face me, Bowser's greatest foe?"

"...Are you saying you're Mario?"

"In the flesh. You'd probably get lots of rewards if you pummeled me too. But since you're being a coward and hiding in your little tower, I'm going to just find another way to Toad Town. Have a great day!"

There was a great rustling within the tower, and the door burst open. A giant Goomba with a lazy eye and a red crown topping his head appeared at the threshold.

"What did you call me? Me! King Goomba!"

"A coward. Look at you. You're a chicken. You don't have any guts to face me, don't you?"

At this, King Goomba became enraged and charged at Mario, full force.

"Quick, Goombario! JUMP!"

The duo jumped out of the way, only to see King Goomba crash into a tree. The massive Goomba struggled to his feet, and turned to face Mario.

"You're a quick one. But with the power Bowser has given me, I can do anything!"

King Goomba charged again, and the duo dodged, watching the oaf crash into his own tower.

"_WE'RE HERE FOR YOU, KING!_"

The Goomba Brothers appeared, bandaged. They jumped into the air, Blue Goomba missing Mario by a long shot. Mario managed to grab Red Goomba in midair and threw the creature at King Goomba. Straightening himself, Blue Goomba jumped again, only to have Mario grab him by the feet and hurl him into King Goomba as well.

King Goomba produced a white flag from his pocket, and waved it in the air.

"I'll...lower... the bridge... please... just... no more...ugh..."

**-XVIII-**

With King Goomba disposed of, Mario and Goombario walked down the path and into Toad Town. 

The town itself seemed somber, hardly any of the residents walked around with a smile. 

Well, that is, until Mario stepped into the town square. People began to yell out Mario's name, cheering and clapping for what they assumed was a fallen hero. 

"MARIO!"

"He's ok! Look Mommy! Mario's alive!"

"Thank the Goddess!"

Mario thanked them all for their applause, and continued on to Shooting Star Summit. Along the way, the duo passed the remains of the castle.

Mario paused for a moment, looking up at the sky, knowing that somewhere, high above those clouds, Peach was smiling down at him.

**-XIX-**

"It's good to see you again, Mario..." said Eldstar, floating above Mario's head.

The six other Star Spirits appeared in faint, glimmering sparkles of light.

"Now then... as you are probably now aware, Bowser has stolen the Star Rod from Star Haven, and is using it to grant all of his selfish wishes. Soon enough, he will begin to do much more terrible things. This is where you must come in Mario."

"I figured as much."

"When Bowser stole the Star Rod, he captured us and imprisoned us in several places throughout the Kingdom. Individually, we are nearly powerless. But if you can free us and assemble us in Star Haven, we will be able to help you defeat Bowser."

Mario stared into the sky longingly again. 

"Free us, Mario, and free the Kingdom from Bowser's grip. We believe in you, Mario. You are our only hope."

The Star Spirits faded away into the night. 

Mario and Goombario looked up into the sky one more time before heading back to Toad Town.

"I hope you're ready, little guy. This is going to be one hell of a trip."

_**-To Be Continued-**_

_A/N: Whew! That was long, huh? Well I hope you liked it! It took a long time to write. So review, even if you hated it! I want some recognition, damnit! Stay tuned for Chapter 1 (Technically, it's chapter 2, but who cares?) _


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